By Leslie Ballentine, Farm and food commentator
The local fair means more than just Ferris Wheels and Beaver Tails- they are also the chance for neighbour to meet neighbour and city to meet country. They are a part of our national heritage and culture. Fairs have been organized in Canada by local Agricultural Societies for more than a century. Though fairs (and farms) do look different than they did 100 years ago, they continue to serve many of the same purposes.
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Posted by FFC on September 26th, 2011 :: Filed under
Consumers,
Education and public awareness,
Food,
RodeosTags ::
agriculture,
Canada,
Consumers,
education
By Leslie Ballentine, Farming and food commentator
It isn’t only wealthy benefactors and government agencies that help with hunger relief. Farmers help in many ways too. On September 30 at 12 noon, Ontario farmers will jump on 100 combines on a Perth County farm to set a world record soybean harvest. Five farmers from the Listowel/Monktonarea have planted a 160-acre field of soybeans with a goal of harvesting all 10,000 bushels it in less than 10 minutes. Their hope is to raise $200,000 by auctioning the soybeans at the site right after the record-breaking attempt.
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Posted by FFC on September 20th, 2011 :: Filed under
Crops,
Faces of Farming,
Feeding the world,
FoodTags ::
agriculture,
farm,
Farmers,
Ontario
By Leslie Ballentine, Farming and food commentator
We tend to have a romantic vision of farming and farm animals. As this former city girl points out, that storybook vision isn’t always reality.
PUBLICATION: GLOBE AND MAIL
DATE: 2009.03.30
BYLINE: KIMBERLEE FEICK LOWRY
SECTION: Globe Life
Facts & Arguments: THE ESSAY Tales from the dairy barn
I’ve learned one vital truth in progressing from scraper of poop to bona fide milkmaid: Cows are dumb
Although I have fond childhood memories of playing in haylofts and patting calves on farms near my father’s log cabin, getting intimate with a cow’s underside was never high on my priority list. But when you marry a man who grew up on a dairy farm, you learn to appreciate the grimy beauty of the barn pretty quickly.
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Posted by FFC on September 14th, 2011 :: Filed under
Animal care,
Dairy cattle,
Farm life,
Urban MythsTags ::
agriculture,
animal care,
dairy cattle,
Farmers
By Leslie Ballentine, Farming and food commentator
Finding good employees can be a challenge for many businesses. But according to The Fiscal Times, “dirty jobs” are the most difficult to fill. Included in their list, of “10 Dirty jobs that no one wants” are working on dairy farms and other ag-related operations. The jobs are ones that The Fiscal Times describes as “high-stress, uncomfortable, dangerous, or just plain icky, that regardless of the recession, you have to be pretty desperate to sign up for.”
The U.S. on-line newspaper goes so far to describe their arbitrary list as “hideous” jobs. A label most dairy farmers, and many others included on the list, would strongly contest.
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Posted by FFC on September 5th, 2011 :: Filed under
Dairy cattle,
Farm life,
Farm Safety,
Meat/slaughter plantsTags ::
agriculture,
dairy cattle,
Farmers
by Patricia Grotenhuis, Lifelong farmer and agricultural advocate
Many people wonder why pigs are in individual pens on many farms. There are a variety of reasons.
Pigs are omnivores, and can be quite aggressive, especially at feeding time. While competing for food, pigs have been known to bite each other. Individual pens protect against this by removing competition for food and water.
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Posted by FFC on September 1st, 2011 :: Filed under
Animal care,
Animal health,
Housing,
Innovation and technology,
PigsTags ::
animal care,
Housing,
pigs,
technology
